Honey has different varieties depending on its nectar source, just like there are different grades of maple syrup depending on the type of tree and its location, however most often you can expect a light, pure, clean, and almost floral honey flavor. Maple Syrup Maple syrup is high in fructose, similarly to agave and honey. It’s a vegan substitute of honey. While it commonly tops pancakes and waffles, it's also become a trendy addition to coffee beverages, appearing most recently in Starbucks' new maple pecan latte. Maple syrup is more nutrient-dense than honey or agave. The sweetener commonly sold as agave nectar would be more accurately labeled as agave syrup. Two natural sweeteners pitted against each other its a very difficult decision. Agave, derived from the agave plant, is a succulent native to the Americas. ... and use dates, honey or maple syrup in place of sugar as often as I can. Continue reading to discover the differences between honey vs. agave and their potential health benefits. When it comes to all natural sweeteners, make sure you don’t overdo it. The benefits and uses of date sugar and date syrup, a traditional sweetener made from dried dates that is loaded with minerals, B vitamins and even has anti-bacterial properties that rival manuka honey according to recent research. It’s significantly sweeter than … Maple Syrup: 73 calories 19 grams carbohydrates (17 grams sugar) 46% daily value for manganese, 8 % zinc and 28 milligrams omega-6 fatty acids and 2% daily value for calcium, iron, and potassium. Date syrup has more than twice the potassium, calcium, and magnesium levels of maple syrup or honey, with up to 10 times the antioxidants. Mix With Liquid or Fat First: Although agave is a great substitution in baked goods, if it’s not added … In one study, honey decreased triglycerides in patients with hypertriglyceridemia and reduced low density lipoproteins in patients with hyperlipidemia, however, artificial honey had the opposite effects. Honey, agave, & corn syrup can be replaced with maple syrup at equal quantities. It should not be given to infants because it is not pasteurized. Maple syrup comes from refining the sap of a variety of maple trees. Agave … Orbon Alija Getty Images. If you don’t like the taste of honey, you may find agave’s neutral taste more appealing. Agave nectar provides fewer nutrients than raw honey or pure maple syrup. But according to this data, when compared by WEIGHT, sugar has 27% MORE calories per gram than honey, 33% more kcal/g than molasses, 48% more kcal/g than maple syrup and 35% more kcal/g than agave nectar. Sugar in the raw. How agave and honey are made. Stevia. Sap is drained from the tree and then boiled down until pure syrup. Agave Nectar: 15 ml (1/2 oz / 0.507 oz) Maple Syrup: 16 ml (~1/2 oz / 0.541 oz) Honey: 18 ml (3/5ths oz / 0.608 oz) It adds a kick to any post workout shake and is a great addition to protein pancakes. Agave. Before enlisting … When in doubt, stick primarily with pure maple syrup. There are many different products that are used as sweeteners. Homemade raw energy balls/bars sweetened with dates and/or honey. The type of sugar in agave doesn't help, either. Maple syrup has a low glycemic index of 54, while honey’s glycemic index of 61 is a little higher, making honey a moderate glycemic index food. As far as nutrient content, maple syrup provides more minerals than honey, making it another good choice if flavor is a big concern for you. In terms of agave syrup / maple flavor there is certainly something to be said for the former. Maple syrup is made from the sap of sugar maple, red maple of black maple trees. Molasses vs Syrup vs Honey . For example, agave is a liquid like honey and maple syrup, making it a little more challenging to use when baking. If you are replacing sugar with maple syrup in a baking recipe, you should also remove 3 additional tablespoons of liquid from the recipe. Pure maple syrup is made from the sap of maple trees, while honey is produced by bees from plant secretions. People with diabetes should avoid all added sweeteners, as well as sugar-rich, … Maple syrup has caramel notes along with the woodsy maple flavor that you might expect from a maple syrup product. Therefore, you need to moderate usage. "Agave is basically a highly refined, unhealthy syrup." Agave syrup has either a dark or light amber colour and it's slightly thinner in consistency than honey. Even though raw honey and maple syrup are natural, they are still broken down in the body as sugar, and will spike your blood sugar. You should restrict your carbohydrate intake to 45 g to 60 g per meal for best blood sugar control, according to the American Diabetes Association. Sugar is only lower in calories than the other four sweeteners when measured by a standard volume (1/2 cup). Stevia is a natural sweetener that comes from the stevia herb. These sweeteners are used to make food items tastier. Agave: 80 calories Moreover, agave nectar is produced mainly by the blue agave plant in Mexico. C oconut sugar, maple syrup, ... Scroll down for everything you need to know about agave vs. honey. Carbohydrates are not only found in sugar, such as in honey, maple syrup, white sugar, brown sugar and agave syrup, but are also present in large quantities in grains, starchy vegetables and fruits. You can use it instead of maple syrup, or sugar. Maple syrup can have a complex flavor with notes of vanilla, cinnamon and even hazelnut. They’re then graded by their purity – golden grades are mild and dark grades are intense. Honey still offers a lot of nutritional value and has been shown to support the immune system. What’s the difference: in process? But agave mixes well in liquids such as teas or smoothies. Pure maple syrup contains 13.5 grams of carbohydrates, 12.4 of those grams being mostly sucrose, a complex sugar. Molasses, syrup, honey, agave etc. Share on Pinterest Honey is a possible alternative to agave syrup. Bottom line on maple syrup vs honey vs agave nectar. Even though both are sticky, sweet substances that have a similar texture and viscosity, they are nutritionally different from each other. Stevia. It’s the same plant that produces tequila… So, is agave nectar good for you? honey: I do use some local honey, since I really enjoy the flavour. The flavor profile of maple syrup is pretty fantastic (objective fact and certainly not a biased opinion of this writer). ), and if consumed in large amounts, it may cause your blood sugars to spike.Moderation is key, even with the healthier sweetener options like raw honey (which has a higher GI level than agave, surprisingly), coconut nectar and maple syrup—just to name a few. Agave nectar is a “natural” sweetener. Many times people substitute one for the other for sweetening a recipe. For every cup of sugar or brown sugar, you should use 1/2 a cup of maple sugar or 2/3 cup of maple syrup. Honey was not used since the health benefits of honey has to do with its antimicrobial properties and varies by brand and location. Approved … One tablespoon of maple syrup contains 52 calories and 12.4 grams of sugar, roughly the same as table sugar. What is it? This is going to be our toughest food fight yet! maple syrup: I do use local maple syrup, since I love the flavour. How Agave and Honey Are Made. Actually, no… Agave nectar is … Agave tastes a bit like honey, although with a slightly more neutral taste. Many would argue that honey isn’t vegan, so maple syrup would be the obvious choice for a healthy vegan sugar option. Although agave nectar is a low glycemic sweetener, the problem is that, agave is high in fructose (up to 97% fructose! Since it doesn’t undergo bleaching and some other processing, sugar in … What do you need to know about agave vs maple syrup in terms of taste? Agave, like refined sugar and corn syrup have minimal antioxidant activity as compared to the robust antioxidants in raw honey and maple syrup. It has little in common with the traditional sweetener made historically by people in Mexico. I have noticed a minor lessening of allergy symptoms to local allergens since changing to local, and there are some trace amounts of nutrients in it, so it definitely is a reasonable choice for using in recipes. When looking for an ideal way to get in carbohydrates from a natural food source or sweetener 100% pure maple syrup should be your preferred choice over agave or honey ! The two also vary in the number of sugars they contain. Chopped apple, walnuts, cinnamon, honey drizzle heated in the microwave for ~30 seconds. are some of the commonly used sweeteners. Knowing what honey and agave are and how they are made can help you further understand their health benefits. Maple Syrup, Honey, and Agave: The Sweet Truth Behind the 3 Most Commonly Recommended HEALTHY Sweeteners. “Agave nectar has the same number of carbohydrates and calories as table sugar, but you get a lot of flavor from a small amount,” Taylor says. Honey, on the other hand, contains 17.4 grams of carbohydrates with 17.3 of them being mainly … Stevia falls into a different category because it’s a calorie-free sugar alternative. 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